


Take the Bet

by taylor_tut



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Clint Barton & Tony Stark Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Protective Clint Barton, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Sick Character, Sick Tony, Sick Tony Stark, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_tut/pseuds/taylor_tut
Summary: A birthday request for a friend on tumblr! Tony is sick on the way to a mission and FRIDAY tattles to Peter who tattles to Rhodey and Clint.





	Take the Bet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kyasuu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyasuu/gifts).



Tony was nodding off on the Quinjet, curled up over two seats despite only having been traveling for fifteen minutes. Clint smirked, gesturing silently toward Tony in the middle of his hushed conversation with Rhodes. 

"Look," Clint pointed, "he's sleeping." Rhodey broke into a wide grin.

"Aw," he cooed, "how long do you wanna bet it's been since he's done that?"

Clint shuddered to think about that. "I'd put $20 on the fact that it's been almost two days."

"Oh, I'd bet more than three."

Clint's jaw dropped. "You're shitting me," he rolled his eyes. "He was just talking to us twenty minutes ago. There's no way he's been up that long."

Rhodey raised one eyebrow. "He was quiet and snippy," he argued, "and if I know Tony, that means he's been up at least 72 hours, if not longer."

"I think you're overestimating Stark," Clint said. "He might be a workaholic, but he's still a human. 48 hours or  less."

Rhodey shook his extended hand confidently. "This'll be an easy 20 bucks," Rhodey taunted. "Hey, Tones, you awake?" 

Tony shifted, threw his hand over his face. "No," he groaned, turning so that he was facing the backs of the seats rather than the other way around. 

"Help us settle something: how long has it been since you slept?"

With an irritated groan, Tony looked up and glared, his eyes squinting against the light of the jet. "Why is that a topic of conversation?" he asked curtly. 

Rhodey blinked a few times in surprise, not having expected Tony to be genuinely upset by them poking a little fun at his expense. 

"You were napping on the jet," Rhodey supplied. "We were just curious." 

Tony rolled his eyes and not in a good-natured way. "Slept last night," he replied, in response to which Clint pumped his fists in the air and Rhodey frowned in concern. 

"Yes! Lunch is on me, Stark," Clint announced, calming down a bit when Tony winced away from his shouting and curled in on himself further to attempt to sleep.

"Tony," Rhodey called, "are you alright?" 

"Fine," Tony brushed him off, "just trying to sleep."

Clint and Rhodey exchanged glances nervously. "You never nap on the jet," Clint argued, his eyes widening when Tony tore his arm away from his face to look at him with hostility.

"And I'm trying to now, so can everyone just fuck off and leave me alone?" Clint blinked. Rhodey's jaw shut with an audible click of his teeth.

"Yeah," he caved, "sure, Tony. Sorry."

Though he felt a bit bad about the unnecessary attitude, but right now, his head was pounding so badly that he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He didn't like snapping at Clint, and he extra didn't like snapping at Rhodey. He'd explain later about how he was cold and tired and achy and just wanted to get this fight over with so he could go back to bed—

Unless someone else told Rhodey first. His phone rang with Peter Parker's contact flashing across the screen.

"Spider Kid?" Rhodey answered, which perked Tony up immediately. Why hadn't Peter called him first?

"Hey, Colonel Rhodes?" Peter asked tentatively, still getting used to the idea that he just HAD War Machine's number in his phone to call whenever he needed to.

"Yeah, it's me. What's up? Is everything okay?" Rhodey had never actually gotten a call from Peter before, though he'd of course told him, as all the Avengers had, that he could call any time. Tony sat up with a hand over one eye. Clint noticed now that he was pale and flushed. 

"I'm fine," Peter reassured, "I was just... Are you with Mr. Stark?"

Rhodey hesitated. "Yes, Barton and I both are. Why?"

"I'm, uh, not sure," he admitted. "Karen told me that FRIDAY told her that Mr. Stark needed a hand, and I wasn't sure what that meant."

Rhodey frowned. "Who's Karen?"

"Not important," Peter replied, sounding flustered. "Just... she said that his blood pressure is really low? And that he's got a feverh."

"Shit," Rhodey muttered, cursing himself for not seeing it sooner. "Yeah, he's been off all day; that's probably right. Damn it, Tony; you're an idiot," he called, knowing that Tony was still listening and having to bite down on a smile when Tony raised his middle finger at him.

"Is he okay?" Peter asked.

"He will be," Rhodey reassured. "We'll deal with it. Thanks for calling, and tell your girlfriend thanks, too."

"Karen's not—"

"Sure, kid. I'll keep you in the loop," he dismissed before hanging up the phone and crouching down in the Quinjet aisle next to Tony's head. 

"So, a fever, huh?" Rhodey baited, and Tony sighed. 

"I thought I could sleep it off," he admitted.

"On the hour-long Quinjet ride?" Clint challenged, already up and fetching water and ibuprofen. 

Tony shrugged and Rhodey pressed his hand to his forehead with a grimace. 

"Yikes," he mumbled, "that's not good. Come on, get up. You're going to bed."

"Not tonight, babe; I've got a headache," he complained, nevertheless allowing Rhodey to coax him up and to the back of the jet where they'd set up a makeshift bed for Bruce's post-Hulk recoveries.

"Don't be a smartass," Clint chastised. "We're calling Thor to fill in—you're benched from this mission." 

Tony looked nervous, near panicked, and something broke in Rhodey's heart when he accepted that he believed he'd look just as guilty if he weren't near-delirious with fever. 

"I can fight," Tony swore, "I just need some fever reducers and a nap and I'll be good."

Clint bit his cheek. "Tony, come on; don't be stupid," he scolded, cursing himself when Tony flinched uncharacteristically at the insult. "Your safety comes first. Plus, you can't fight like this. You'll compromise the whole mission."

"Not to mention teaching the Spider Kid very poor values about self-care," Rhodey added. Tony didn't look accepting, but he did look too tired to argue further. 

"Fine," he caved, "but you have to agree to stay back unless we call you. Otherwise, we're hospitalizing you."

Tony nodded in agreement, allowing Rhodey to cover him in a blanket and taking the water and pills from Clint. While he'd have to have a talk with FRIDAY and Karen about what they are and aren't supposed to share with Peter, for now, he could allow himself to relax. 

 


End file.
